The present disclosure relates generally to methods and devices for attaching material to roofs. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to methods and devices for the securement of a membrane which overlies sheets of thermal insulation secured to a roof substrate by use of attachment discs.
In roof construction technology for which the present disclosure has specific application, sheets of thermal insulation are secured to the top of a roof structure by metallic attachment or compression discs. The members are placed on the top of the insulation and typically secured via a fastener to the substrate portion of the roof in a grid-like array. Stand-up installation tools which automatically feed plates and drive fasteners may also be used. The upper surfaces of the metallic members are affixed with a heat activated adhesive that becomes active by heating the discs. A water impervious membrane is laid over the insulation and the discs. The bottom surface of the membrane is bonded to the members by the adhesive.
There are several types of induction heating devices which are conventionally employed to heat the member and activate the adhesive. Such devices are moved across the membrane and positioned over the underlying disc. An induction heating coil interacts with the metallic member to set up a magnetic field with the member and to ultimately heat the attachment member and thereby activate the adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,399,949 discloses a heating apparatus employed for attaching membrane material to attachment members that hold sheets of thermal insulation at the top of a roof substrate. The heating apparatus emits a magnetic field that raises the temperature of the member and activates the heat activated adhesive disposed on the top of the disc. The heating apparatus includes a set of bottom guides to allow a user to find the attachment members mechanically without actually seeing the member beneath the top membrane layer. A fine locator circuit employs a magnetic field to locate the disc. The apparatus allows a user to stand upright on the membrane while operating the apparatus. Upon cooling, the adhesive becomes adhered to the bottom surface of the top membrane layer.